Deeper
by The Nork
Summary: This is the tale of how Loki learned to evade Heimdall's gaze, and how madness took its root in him. This is the story of the world beneath our world.
1. Prologue

Loki belongs to Marvel. Eversion belongs to Zaratustra Productions.

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How did he escape Heimdall's gaze? No one ever did know. He went behind all eyes, doing as he liked, hearing secrets he was never meant to know, and using all for his own gain—utterly unseen.

That was Loki.

Why was he mad? No one ever did know. He walked behind the backs of all, doing as he pleased to slowly die, hurt by secrets spilled from unwary lips, and losing all in pursuit of his gain—utterly unseen.

That was Loki.

He is a silent madness sliding through the walls of Asgard. Whispering poison in the ears of sleeping men, making them reach for weapons at their bedside which they find are now just a fraction out of reach…opening doors to chambers formerly sealed, watching as the secret, sly nightmares within pour free…standing invisible at the side of his brother in council, giving him the lies in the hearts of his men, raising doubt and fear in all…

That is Loki, now. That is what he has become. He is feared—not because of the harm he does, for never does he harm openly, but because of what he says about the truth of the world, that perhaps the empty darkness is not so empty, that the noises in the silence are real, that when a man looks at the stars…the stars look back...and _hate_.

Perhaps, mad though he is, Loki knows something the rest do not.

He knows something they pray they never will.


	2. World One

Loki and Thor are the property of Marvel. Eversion belongs to Zaratustra Productions.

This contains spoilers for Eversion. Proceed with caution! Later on, there will also be spoilers for _Thor_ and _The Avengers_.

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World One

Loki's research was not for the faint of heart, not anymore. At the tender age of seventy-three, he had finally discovered how to pick the complex lock on the doors to the deeper vaults of the library, where more dangerous tomes and artifacts were left. They were trophies of Asgard's bygone days of constant war with foreign powers strong in magic, not for the weak-minded to see.

If he was anything, he was not weak-minded or faint-hearted.

The descent into the vaults was simple enough. The staircase was grandiose, built on a scale for men larger than any of the Aesir. Statues of warriors guarded the steps, standing on pedestals to the sides. Loki ignored them. They were mere stone, meant to intimidate men who were not destined to rule Asgard.

At the bottom of the staircase lay the great doors. These were enchanted, carved with runes in patterns so complex as to be indecipherable. Loki rested his hand against the lock—he had no key, but that was no matter—and murmured a spell to allow him to slide between the wards without harm. The door creaked open at his gentle push, just wide enough to allow him through. He slipped into the library, breathing in the smell of dusty books and long-mildewed parchment. It was enough to bring a genuine smile to his lips.

Dust whirled up wherever Loki touched the shelves. He brushed past many of the books at a glance—they were in languages he did not understand or discussed subjects too dry for even the studious young man to worry about. He knew he did not have much time here, for it was unwise for even a prince of Asgard to remain long in forbidden places. Therefore, Loki chose carefully what books he would bring with him out of the vault.

He was just about to pass out of the library when he noticed a small black book lying on the bottom of a shelf as if forgotten. Suddenly seized with curiosity, Loki snatched it up and opened it. Dust sifted free of its pages. Brown spots of mold speckled the inside cover. The ink, although faded by time, retained an odd rainbow sheen.

The book began without prologue—not unusual, in these ancient texts, but there was not even a mention of an author. Loki puzzled at that, but read on.

_There are certain places where the walls of the world become thin_, the book read, _and when these points are properly accessed, a competent mage may step through and enter another level of reality. The lives of all creatures are conducted in a universe which is built upon itself, world on world on world, and, to discover the truth, worlds must be turned inside-out to see what lies beneath the bright layers of what we believe to be real. This turning of worlds and motion through layers of reality must simply be called __**eversion**__._

Loki paused before turning the page. The handwriting was elegant, although shaky in certain places. It was a little unusual, but no more so than anything else Loki had ever read. He turned the page, leaning against a bookshelf and inadvertently coating his arm in dust.

_Each eversion reaches a new layer of reality. However, eversion points only lead one way—between exactly two realities and no more. A curious maGe may fInd his VoyagE home Unusually comPlex if he attempts to use multiple eversion points on the same journey. _

Loki stopped again. There was something…off about that last sentence, but nothing he could put his finger on exactly.

_The deeper the eversion is, the truer the reality is and the more difficult it is to tear oneself away from the deeper worlds. To step beyond the veil is to risk one's soul—for though the body may return from the deeper realms, the soul may not return, lost in the warping labyrinth of eversion._

Well. That was nothing new. Every mage's tome Loki had ever read warned of the same danger—loss of the soul if magic was too deeply delved, et cetera, et cetera.

Leaving all the other books behind—they would keep, and somehow this book called to Loki in a manner he had not felt before—Loki swept out of the library. He sealed up the doors behind him and took the steps two at a time, rushing past the statues. The fever of discovery was on him, and nothing would stop him experimenting with this…eversion.

He came to a halt when, just fifteen feet from the library, he ran headlong into Thor.

"Brother, what are you up to now?" Thor asked, rolling his eyes, a smile belying his suspicious words.

"Oh, nothing much," Loki said airily. "Just found a new book in the library." He flipped the slender volume to Thor. Not much chance Thor would care or understand the potential dangers of this magic, so no danger.

The taller Aesir opened up the book. "It's blank."

"Keep turning, that'd be the endpapers." Loki glanced down the hall, hoping that no one unseemly saw the book. If Gullveig happened to arrive, he'd be in so much trouble that even his quick tongue wouldn't be able to get him out of it. Maybe worse, Thor would be in trouble too, by extension, because he was holding the book.

"Ymir's blood!" Thor swore. "What sort of mage-craft is this, Loki?"

Loki stepped around to peer around Thor's shoulder. Written quite plainly, in shaky, disjointed handwriting, in ink browned with age, scrawled _over _the black text, was the simple word **_STOP_**.

"Well, it's intended to fluster immature magicians," Loki said, mouth moving even as he tried to process what he was looking at. "Mage-craft requires a stout heart indeed, and if a young mage can be frightened by so simple a word, they should not be using the text at all."

Thor did not try to suppress a shiver as he handed the book back to Loki. "That's the first time I've seen how your craft requires courage. Were it not secret, I should tell all Asgard…"

Loki smiled, clapping Thor's shoulder with one hand. "Fear not, brother. I'll learn this craft and help you in your quests, just as always." It was good to hear Thor's sudden understanding of the complex dangers of magic, even if it were triggered by a simple word on a page, which did not frighten Loki at all. He'd seen worse.

"Good luck to you." Thor grinned and left with a jaunty salute. Loki hared off again at top speed to his own chambers, where he might work without being disturbed.

Upon arrival, Loki drew up all the wards he'd ever set around the doors and windows and drew the curtains. He cleared a significant space of books—when did he start accumulating so many? He'd really have to do something about that one of these days—in case eversion required him to create a spell-circle or anything of that sort.

He continued reading from where he'd left off, not where Thor had accidentally opened the book. _Eversion is, itself, a simple enough process. Locate a single point where the walls of the world thin and twist sideways, stepping through to the second reality. These points may be recognized by simple hallmarks: strange sounds, unusual smells, lights without source, or shadows which do not correspond to points in the first world. _

"Simple enough," Loki said aloud. He glanced at the book, hoping for perhaps some clearer instructions on how to perform the eversion, but it was a vain hope.

_Once an eversion has been created, the mage will no longer be able to interact in any way with the first reality. Danger encountered below the surface in a higher reality—_ Loki stopped reading. That last made no sense at all. What was below could not be higher, which was basic logic. It was time to attempt an eversion. He went about his room, looking for a place where things just weren't quite right. In the far corner of the room, he found one near a mouse-hole. The shadows lay wrong there, and even as the mouse within squeaked at him, he reached out and _twisted_ and suddenly—

—he was through.


End file.
